Street-Hope.org: Stories

Nuru (27) - Orphaned but finding new hope and responsibility

Nuru's parents died when he was very young and he lived with his grandparents. His grandmother who was looking after him died and he found no home and no future.

Max met Nuru in 2004 when he was fighting on the streets. Max broke up the fight and started to talk to Nuru. He was using many drugs and alcohol. Max took him home and lent him clothes. (Unfortunately Nuru is quite tall and Max is not, so they didn't fit exactly!) Gradually Max started getting to know him, and Nuru has been able to reduce his dependence on drugs and be given some responsibility looking after other street children. However, he still has no job and no place to live except the streets.    

James (12) - Running away from a difficult home

James' parents divorced and soon after he found he was not welcome in either his mother's or father's new homes. He started living with different relatives, but probably because of the emotional trauma of rejection and from his parents' divorce, he eventually ran away to the streets in 2004. However, in July 2006 we were able to take him back to an uncle in Mwanza who said he would care for him. Read more about this on the news page...

He and his uncle's family still need much support and prayer.

Jesea - Trapped in the commercial sex trade

We met Jesea while carrying out research in early 2005. She had been raped at 14 years of age, and had a daughter. With no job and no prospects, and probably traumatised by the rape, she became a 'sexual commercial worker' to feed herself and her child. There seemed no way out for her. 

Dogo Janja (9) - Killed in a car accident 2005

Max met Dogo Janja in 2005 and found that by the age of 9 he had already been using Marijuana while living on the streets. He had been on the streets for 1 year and 7 months. His father had run away when he discovered Dogo's mother was pregnant. His mother died in childbirth and he lived with his grandfather, but living in poverty he had no school and started coming into the town to beg for money. Soon after Max interviewed him as part of some research in 2005 he was killed on the streets - crushed by a car. 

Bubu (?) - No way to know anything about him

Bubu is mute. He can't speak or hear us speak to him. So we don't know anything about him, except that he has been coming to join in the football since early 2005. How can we build a real relationship with him? We don't know how old he is or where he came from. Only God knows him. Pray that we might find some way of helping him, perhaps with the help of a deaf-mute school.